Yippee!! Aussie Woman Wins Nobel Prize

[Enchilada]

Good News today, when the Australian-born Elizabeth H. Blackburn of the Universe of California was awarded with this year's 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine. (She has US and Australian citizenship and born in Hobart.) She is the first Australian woman to win a Nobel Prize! It is shared with Carol Greider and John Szotak.

The Nobel Committee says it is; "for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase."

Simply, the work is being praised on the genetic work on telomeres (material on the very end of the chromosomes), and of the discovery of how the chromosomes are protected from degradation during cell replication. If it were not for the existence of the enzyme called telomerase (the Blackburn's discovery of the telomere DNA), chromosomes would become shorter and shorter every time a cell divides.

The future applications of the discovery are extraordinary, as it might lead to increasing longevity of human lives, solve many different kinds of cancers and eliminate certain genetic diseases or provide useful therapies for such diseases.

The fountain of youth or living to 200+ years of age might now be possible!! :hi:

Halley's Comet apparitions three times per lifetime here we come! :D

Chalk Another One Up For Aussie Science !!!

Some Interesting Links

A good discussion on the discovery and implications, see "Telomere Copy Protection: Nobel Goes To Scientists Who Solved How Chromosome Ends Work" at; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005110401.htm

Brief technical information explaining Telomers is at;
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/t/telomere.htm

Announcement at; http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2009/

You can listen or read a good 14 minute interview with Elizabeth Blackburn from the Nobel Site at; http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2009/blackburn-interview.html

[jjjnettie]

I was just reading about this.
What a wonderful achievement!
Though her work won't create a cure for those suffering with silent mutations as yet.:( There is definite hope in the future.

[Robh]

Wonderful recognition!
Great to see another aussie get recognition for something other than acting or sport in the international arena. Maybe, it will inspire some more of our young to look at careers in the sciences.

Regards, Rob

[Rob_K]

Great news! Let's just hope this breakthrough is used for everything BUT increasing longevity of human life, the last thing this world of obscene privilege and disgraceful underprivilege needs. Because we all know who'll get to live longer... ;) :thumbsup:

Cheers -

Rob

[goober]

Well, she's worked in the US for 30 years, but go Australia! ;)

[norm]

I was impressed, until I found out she has lived in California for a better part of 30 years......hardly Aussie anymore.:question:

Norm

[Enchilada]

True. Sadly, if the truth be known, if she didn't go to California she probably wouldn't had the opportunity get the prize. Opportunities for advancement in area of the biological sciences are few and far between in Australia. Still her general formative years were in Australia and was moulded in to shape. Her dual citizenship is often difficult to assess - if she got an aussie passport, is she still Australian. I wonder if she got the Rudd Stimulus Package bonus?

Also, she really doesn't sound like a "septic", does she?

In the end, are the "dandies" claiming her? Of course they are!! :mad2:

I.e. The New York Times said in "Nobel Prize Recognizes Communications Advances" ( http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/science/07nobel.html?_r=1&hp )

"On Monday, three American scientists shared the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering a key mechanism in the genetic operations of cells, an insight that has inspired new lines of research into cancer.

Elizabeth H. Blackburn, who also has Australian citizenship, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak were cited for their work in solving the mystery of how chromosomes, the rod-like structures that carry DNA, protect themselves from degrading when cells divide."

___________________________________ ______________________

BBC Science Team Presents Yet Another Shocker
(Sorry, again, but I have to say it!)

This is unlike the BBC Dodos, who don't even acknowledge their names or nationalities at all. I.e.

"This year's medicine Nobel, announced on Monday, honoured the study of telomeres, the structures in cells that cap the end's of DNA bundles, or chromosomes.
The work has further our understanding on human ageing, cancer and stem cells."

All they go as usual is just pretend it one of their UK scientists!!

Even worse here was in the earlier BBC misleading epiece entitled; "Nobel prize for chromosome find" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8290094.stm) says Elizabeth's Blackburn's name twice, but their selected quote says something minor and leaves a negative impression.

I.e. "Prizes are always a nice thing. It doesn't change the research per se, of course, but it's lovely to have the recognition and share it with Carol Greider and Jack Szostak."

They then have the gaul to quote Professor Roger Reddel of the Children's Medical Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, saying: "The telomerase story is an outstanding illustration of the value of basic research."

Basic Research. Bah!

Really. Who gets a Nobel Prize doing basic research!!!!

:screwy::screwy::screwy::screwy: to the power of 10

The BBC Science team again are simply dipsticks. I.e. Showing chromosomes as sausages on bench is plain ludicrous.

Typical petty blasted bias, and they sure got that down pat methinks. :mad2:

[acropolite]

May I remind the reader that Elizabeth was in fact born in Tasmania (Hobart) and attended school here in good old Launceston. Must be something in the water here.